Getty Wetteland pictured playing for the Yankees in the 1990s.
John Wetteland, the 1996 World Series MVP, has been accused of the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 in Texas. Wetteland, 52, was arrested on January 14 in Denton County, according to local jail records. Denton County is located just northwest of Dallas.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the abuse of the victim began when the girl was 4.
Here’s what we know so far:
Wetteland Is Free on a $25,000 Bond
Denton County Jail
Online records show that Wetteland posted a $25,000 bail “with conditions.” The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that the Bartonville Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Wetteland on January 14. Wetteland was taken into custody by the Denton County Sheriff’s Office.
The victim has been identified as a relative, with the alleged abusing beginning in 2004 when she was a 4-year-old girl, the Dallas Morning News reports. Police said the abuse occurred at Wetteland’s home in Bartonville in 2004 and then at least twice more of a two-year period.
Wetteland Divorced His Wife, Michele, in 2015
Wetteland pictured kissing his wife following the Yankees 1996 World Series win.
According to an online profile, Wetteland was previously married to a woman named Michele. The couple divorced in 2015. They had four children together. That bio mentions that Wetteland taught Bible classes in Texas in 2007 and 2008 at Liberty Christian School. Wetteland met his wife while he was playing Double-A baseball for the San Antonio Missions.
An IMDb profile for a woman named Donna Marie Guerra says that since she divorced her husband, Texas attorney John Guerra, she has been in a relationship with Wetteland. Social media profiles indicate that Guerra is now married to another man.
Wetteland Post 4 Saves During the 1996 World Series
Wetteland, a relief pitcher and native of Santa Mateo, California, spent 11 years in the majors. He began with the Dodgers, between 1989 and 1991, from there, Wetteland went to Montreal, playing in Canada from 1992 until 1994. In 1995, Wetteland went to the Yankees where he won the World Series in 1996. During the series, he posted four saves. While at the Yankees, Bronx-legend Mariano Rivera was his set up man.
In 1997, Wetteland went to the Texas Rangers where he saw out his career, retiring in 2000. Wetteland was an All-Star on three different occasions. The Dallas Morning News named Wetteland as the greatest relief pitcher in Texas Rangers history in February 2018.
Wetteland Was Hospitalized for a ‘Mental Health Issue’ in 2009
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In 2009, while working for the Seattle Mariners as a bullpen coach, Wetteland was hospitalized for what was reported to have been a “mental issue.” The Mariners later said that Wetteland was hospitalized due to heart rate issue which was related to his high blood pressure.
Wetteland Says He Tries to ‘Walk With Jesus Christ Every Day’
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Wetterland told the New York Times in his April 1995 feature, “I honestly try to walk with Jesus Christ every day.” Wetteland went on to tell the Times that his relationship with Jesus was more important than his relationship with his wife.
Following his parents’ divorce when he was 16, Wetteland said that he got into drugs and alcohol. At 17, Wetteland said he nearly overdosed on drugs at a Grateful Dead concert. Wetteland told the Times that he now listens to Christian rock and openly denounces alcohol and drugs.
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